Report: Illinois ranks 7th for high-tech exports

WASHINGTON — TechAmerica Foundation today said tech exports in Illinois totaled $5.9 billion in 2009 ranking the state at No. 7 nationwide in high-tech exports. Electromedical equipment (ranked 4th) and communications equipment (ranked 5th) are Illinois's largest tech export sectors, with $1.4 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively.

The data was released in the group's annual report, Trade in the Cyberstates 2010: A State-by-State Overview of High-Tech International Trade, which covers 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

“High-tech exports support jobs – in the case of Illinois 32,600 high-paying jobs,” said T. Kendall Hunt, CEO of VASCO Data Security International Inc., and chairman of TechAmerica Midwest, based in Oakbrook Terrace. “Our leaders in Washington need to work to increase access to foreign markets through bilateral and multilateral trade deals. We urge Congress and the Administration to work together to pass Free Trade Agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea.”

Illinois' trade activities continue to serve as an important driver of the economy. The tech industry is certainly no exception, as is evidenced by the $5.9 billion impact to the economy last year, said Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Director Warren Ribley.

“While this is a decline from last year, Illinois actually rose one spot in the national rankings and is still the leader in tech exports among the Midwest states, giving us great promise for the future,” Ribley said.

Nationally, the report shows that U.S. high-tech goods exports fell by 16 percent in 2009, reaching $188 billion, representing 18 percent of all U.S. exports to the world. Tech exports in Illinois followed a similar trend and were down $1.2 billion or 17 percent from the previous year. High-tech imports were down by 11 percent nationally, totaling $299 billion in 2009, resulting in a slight improvement in the high-tech trade deficit, which stands at $111 billion. High-tech exports supported 944,300 jobs in the United States.